Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Dick Durbin sent a letter to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Friday, April 25, 2026, criticizing her decision to halt a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Warren and Durbin question Pirro’s justification for halting the probe
The senators argued that Pirro’s announcement leaves the door open for relaunching the investigation if it becomes politically expedient, noting that Pirro did not specify who requested the Federal Reserve’s inspector general to look into cost overruns on a renovation project.
Pirro maintains she will restart the investigation if facts warrant
Pirro stated in a Friday release that she directed her office to close the investigation as the inspector general’s inquiry proceeds, but emphasized she would not hesitate to restart it should the facts warrant doing so.
Federal Reserve and Powell respond to the development
The Federal Reserve declined to comment on Pirro’s decision earlier Friday, while Powell said in January he had received subpoenas from Pirro’s office, which he denounced as a pretext tied to the Trump administration’s dissatisfaction with his interest rate decisions.
What prompted Warren and Durbin to send the letter?
Warren and Durbin sent the letter after Pirro halted the criminal investigation into Powell and directed the Federal Reserve’s inspector general to investigate renovation cost overruns instead.
What did Pirro say about restarting the investigation?
Pirro said she would not hesitate to restart the criminal investigation should the facts warrant doing so, even as she directed her office to close it pending the inspector general’s inquiry.
